


Fan vs Favorites; A Love Story

by KarieRene (TheSiren), TheSiren



Category: Survivor (TV 2000)
Genre: Arguing, F/M, I like writing smut too much for it not to happen, Ozzy Lusth is WAYYYYYYY too hot not to have more smut written about him, Slow Burn, and lets be honest, but it'll happen, cursing, explicit content, he's sexy as hell, i'll add as i go along - Freeform, island sex, look him up, mature - Freeform, seriously, suffering because it's fucking Survivor
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-20
Updated: 2017-07-22
Packaged: 2018-10-21 07:52:54
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 9,438
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10680960
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheSiren/pseuds/KarieRene, https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheSiren/pseuds/TheSiren
Summary: When you get selected to be on the newest season of Survivor, you expect to go in and win the game. What you don't expect is to go in and fall hard for one of your competitors. Will you pick your love life? Or will you go with the choice of $1 million dollars?





	1. The Beginning

The plane ride was wonderful, but you couldn’t get your mind off of the adventure to come. Somehow, by the grace of god, you had been selected for the next season of Survivor. It was a Fans vs Favorites season, the first they’d had in a long while. You wouldn’t consider yourself a superfan, but you did enjoy the show and knew that you would be playing against some of the greats. You glanced around the plane, wondering if any other passengers were new players too. You’d recognize the Favorites anywhere, but new players were harder to dissect from the crowd. You had a feeling that production separated the Favorites from the Fans so they couldn’t corroborate before the show started, but that’s all part of the magic of the show. The first time the Fans encounter the Favorites and their expressions were just those of amazement. You were getting giddy just thinking about it. You had watched this show for a long time, these people were like celebrities to you, and you COULD NOT believe that you were lucky enough to play against them. As you felt the plane begin to descend, you felt your body fill with excitement and a little bit of anxiety. This wasn’t going to be like anything you'd done before. 

You were blindfolded the second you set foot outside of the cabin of the plane, before you heard one of the producers saying that they would be taking you to a secret location to then the blindfolds would be removed and you would officially be introduced to your tribemates as a Survivor castaway. You sat calmly on the ride, you could tell you were in the back of a truck, but you didn’t know where the hell you were. Somewhere in the South Pacific, heading towards an uninhabited island. You finally reached the destination and you heard crew members and castaways rustling around getting their blindfolds taken off. Yours was removed and you got your first look at the people you would be working with and they all looked like you, starstruck and nervous. Jeff Probst came out of the passenger side of the truck and you knew you had to buckle down and get into game mode, because this shit was getting real.  
“Well guys, it looks like you're getting your first look at the newest Survivor castaways and your future tribemates. You’ve all been selected for a reason, so let’s get on that boat and get this game underway!” You could feel how much Probst loved this game and how much of his life had been invested in loving, producing, and being a part of this game as he led the way to the boat that would drop you at the island. You found yourself in the middle of the pack and you hoped that this wasn’t symbolic of how your Survivor game would be played. You were fine with being in the thick of things, you just didn’t want to get voted off in the middle of the game. Once they got you all settled on the boat, you took a good look around at your competitors. There were four other women and five guys, some small and nerdy, some bulkier and clearly more physical. You weren't sure what category you fit into, you were athletic and worked out regularly but you were also pretty nerdy and found puzzles enjoyable. You knew you’d have to keep at least one of those traits hidden for as long as possible if you wanted to survive in this game, you just weren’t sure which one yet. You didn’t fit a lot of the molds that people wanted you to fit and you knew it could be a huge asset in this game if everyone underestimated you.  
“Okay. So you’re here. Let’s get ourselves introduced. Starting from the left and working around state your name and where you’re from.” Probst said, pointing to a little mousy girl two down from you.  
“I’m Kelly, I’m from Raleigh, North Carolina. I teach history at UNC.” She looked at the group and smiled. She looked nice enough, you wondered if you were going to aline with her. Probst pointed to the next person, the person right next to you, a very buff man who introduced himself as Jake and owned a gym. You nodded, not overly surprised at his profession, he definitely struck you as someone who owned a gym. Probst nodded, pointing at you to continue the tradition.  
“I am Cienna Marks, I’m a Veterinary Technician from Indiana but I just relocated to Cali.” You said, feeling a little uncomfortable with all the eyes on you.  
“So do you know Rupert? I know he’s from Indiana as well.”  
“I know of him, he used to come eat at a restaurant I worked at a long time ago, but I didn’t get to know him.” You said, worried that knowing a former Survivor member would make you an instant target in the game. Probst nodded, moving on to the person on your right, a tall guy who introduced himself as Ty. He was a college student studying business and you couldn’t quite get a read on him yet. Probst continued down the line, asking questions when necessary until everyone was introduced. You met Sam, a well-muscled woman who was a tattoo artist. Darrell, a tall guy who managed a restaurant. Ramone, a thin woman who was a biochemist. Shawn, a thin man who was another college student and a writer. Kelsei, a gorgeous woman who taught yoga. Then finally Jimmie, a short man who was a coached high school basketball. Once everyone was introduced, Probst started asking people questions like ‘what do you think your strongest attribute is’ and ‘do you think it’ll be hard to take the Favorites out’ to some of your competitors before turning to ask you a question.  
“So, Cienna, what do you think it will take to become Sole Survivor this season?”  
“I think that the Favorites will stick together, I think it’ll be pretty hard to split them up. I think the true advantage they have over us is that they’ve all done this before, so they know what it’s like. I think that we all have an idea of what it’s like, but we don’t know how to do without food and blankets and pillows. We’ve never done anything like this before, they have. So while we’re struggling with adjusting, they’re plotting and scheming and planning on how to pick us off one by one. If any of us want to come out of this season a winner, we’re going to have to work our way into the cracks of their relationships and be mentally tough.”  
“Very smart answer. I like that.” Jeff said, giving you an approving nod. You were feeling pretty good about yourself until you realized that such an intelligent answer may have just put a target on your back.  
“Looks like we’re approaching the island, better gather your stuff and get ready to get off. Are you guys ready to meet your competition?” Probst said as he headed towards the front of the boat.


	2. The First Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As the tribes are announced, things may be looking good for Cienna. And she may be surprising everyone, including Probst, with her intelligence.

You all hurried to shuffle off the boat, jockeying for positions that didn’t exist, each of you trying not to be last. Being last in line in a game like this meant that you would likely finish last, and no one wanted that. This was a game for a million dollars, everything was a competition.  
“Line up here.” Probst said, pointing to an area. “Come on in, guys!” He shouted, his signature line as the Favorites filed in from your right. You glanced, recognizing many faces but not registering a few. “If you could line up next to the Fans, that would be great. Thank you.” Jeff directed before turning to face the 20 of you. “Okay. Everyone is here, are we ready to get started?” There was a slight murmuring between the Favorites, they were as confused as you were. Jeff stood there, waiting for someone to answer before a dark-complected man that you recognized as Ozzy spoke up. You must have looked confused, because Probst singled you out and asked you why.  
“I’m confused. We don't have buffs, usually they’re handed out on the boat. Usually we have mats that we stand on with our buff colors, but they're behind you and we aren’t. Something’s fishy here.” You said, wondering aloud at the odd situation.  
“Very perceptive, Cienna. You are absolutely right, there's something fishy here. We’re not going to split into Fans versus Favorites, we’re going to split the tribes in half. Fans and Favorites on the same tribes. Your tribes have already been decided, so come up to this table and grab the wrapping that has your name on it. There was a shuffling as everyone attempted to grab their buffs, as Jake and Kelsei pushed their way to the front of the pack. You shared a little eye contact with Kelly, both of you rolling your eyes at their actions. You made it in the middle of the pack, getting pushed into Ozzy as someone bumped into you. He grabbed you by the arms to steady you, since you went full-force into him. You turned around finding Cirie, a curvy black woman, trying to regain her balance as well. It appeared as though someone bumped her first. You placed a hand on his chest, trying to push yourself off but his strong hands held you steady. You looked up, but he wasn’t looking at you.  
“Are you okay, Cirie?” He asked, still not releasing you.  
“Yeah, Ozzy. I’m fine.” She responded, patting one of the hands that was holding onto you. He nodded, still not letting you go and shooting a dark look at someone over your head. You weren't sure who he was looking at, but you had your guesses. He finally glanced down at you, asking if you were also okay. You got your first good look at his face and it stunned you into silence. His hair was long, dark, and full. His dark chocolate eyes made contact with your gray ones, and you saw a depth there that amazed you.  
“Hey. You okay?” He prompted again. You immediately shook your head and he gave you an approving nod before letting go and reaching for his buff. You found yourself hoping that you drew the same color buff so you could spend more time around him.  
“That girl was pushing people around trying to get to her buff first.” He said, rolling his eyes and not hiding his immediate distaste of her. You assumed it had been Kelsei, but since your back was turned you didn’t know.  
“Okay guys. Grab your buffs and get back in line! You’re gonna want to get to your camps before it gets dark so you can build a shelter.” Jeff demanded, so you grabbed your buff and bolted back to the first open spot in line. It had you wedged between Cirie and Kelsei with Ozzy and Jake on their respective sides. “Alright, everyone open your buffs.” He paused waiting for everyone to untie their strings, then spoke,  
"If you have a red buff, you're part of Patiku and you will stand on my right. If your buff is blue, you’re part of Mahua and you will stand on my left.” You unrolled your buff, you saw a quite flash of red and looked around to see who else had drawn a red buff. Cirie to your left and Kelsei to your right had both drawn red, but that was everyone that you could see so far. “Alright, Patiku on my right to your mat, Mahua on my left to your mat.” There was another ruckus as you all shuffled to get to your mats without knocking anyone over. You got settled onto your mat, looking around to see who was on your team. You saw Ozzy, standing a hint taller than everyone except JT, but that was about all the time you got before Jeff called back your attention. “It looks like everyone is getting their first looks at their tribes. For Patiku we have Ozzy, Cirie, JT, Sierra, Jake, Ramone, Kelsei, Jimmie, Shawn, and Cienna. For Mahua we have Debbie, Zeke, Kelly, Sam, Darrell, Tai, Malcolm, Ty, Andrea, and Micheala. Two talented tribes. There’s a clear disadvantage for the Favorites on Patiku, since there’s only four of you and there’s six Fans. That will be pretty interesting as the season moves along. Now, all you follow me over here, I’ve got a little something for you.” You all murmured together about what you thought Jeff might have for you, but it didn’t take long for you to figure it out. “Supplies. They haven’t given us any supplies.” You whispered to Ramone as you walked along. Ozzy, who was walking right behind you whispered back in your ear,  
“That’s the only thing he could have. Good call, newbie.” You flushed at the praise and the nickname, but then the pack halted and you didn’t have much more time to focus on it.  
“Okay. We have some supplies and both tribes are going to have 10 minutes to gather everything they might need from this large mat and put it on your tribe mats. There is also ONE set of fishing gear in the water if someone from either tribe would like to take their chance and get it.” Jeff explained, looking directly at Ozzy when he spoke about the fishing gear.  
“I’ve got the fishing gear.” Ozzy whispered to your tribe, you all just nodded surreptitiously. You had a feeling that someone from the other tribe was going to challenge Ozzy for the fishing gear, but you remember Ozzy during his time in the South Pacific and Cook Islands and you had full confidence in him to get the fishing gear for your tribe.  
“Tribes ready? Go!” Probst shouted, making a couple of you jump and then sprint into action. You saw Ozzy take off in the opposite direction, towards the water and you saw another person, take off after him. You glanced around at the madness, both tribes trying to gather as many items as they could and get them put on their respective mats. A lightbulb went off in your head and you carefully wandered to your mat, keeping a mental note of all the people. You could see Probst looking at you funny, but when you began pulling items off of Mahua’s mat and onto yours, he broke out into a huge grin. It was a trick you’d seen a long time ago on an early episode of Survivor. You grabbed food, supplies, water sacks, anything your hands could reach. You were careful, trying not to grab while there were people at the mat, but there was so much commotion that you were hardly noticed.  
“Here comes Ozzy! It looks like he was the first to grab the fishing gear, better get it put on the mat, time’s running out!” Jeff said and you made brief eye contact with Ozzy and he grinned, pleased with himself and his swimming abilities but the chickens that were just brought back to Mahua’s mat were higher on your priority list. You made sure no one was looking, then snatched the cage from the mat as Jeff started counting down the final minute. You were dragging it onto your mat as Mahua began gathering back at their mat and noticing a lot of things they thought they had grabbed were missing.  
“That’s it, times up! What is on your mat is yours, everything else is mine.” Jeff announced and you could hear the frustration and confusion from Mahua.  
“What the fuck? I thought you grabbed the water skins?”  
“I thought you grabbed the chickens?”  
“What about the fishing gear?”  
“Alright,” Jeff spoke, drawing everyone’s attention. “It’s going to be getting dark in a couple of hours and you’re going to want to build shelter to sleep in tonight. Gather all your supplies and belongings and head out. I’ve got a map for both tribes on how to get to camp. Cienna, Michaela, come grab them please.” You flushed at being called out, knowing Jeff was a little impressed with your strategy and both tribes headed on their way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! Things are starting to heat up over here! It's going to definitely get interesting the next couple of chapters. If you don't know who some of the Favorites are, just google them! The Fans are all OC's, but the Favorites are based off of real people! I really liked this chapter, it's the beginning of a slow burn. Maybe. Depends on how impatient I am. ;) Thanks for the comments and kudos! It's much appreciated!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ozzy and Cienna get to know each other better, but will someone try to come between them?

As you began the long trek plotted on your map, you and your other tribemates began to get to know each other. Learning about where everyone is from, what they do for a living, married, not married. Everyone was sharing stories but you, because you were still trying to figure out the damn map. A small tap on your shoulder drew your attention away from the piece of paper and back to the group.  
“Hey. We know where we’re going. You don’t have to keep looking at that.” Ozzy suggested.   
“I know. I’m trying to figure it out. I’ve never been good with directions.” You admitted. Ozzy took the paper from your hands, explaining simple ways to always find north and then showing you which direction you were currently heading. As he explained it, directions and paths started to make sense and you committed the knowledge to memory.   
“Alright, now that we have that figured out, where are you from?” He asked, curious.   
“I’m originally from Indiana but I relocated to California a few months ago. Right outside Los Angeles heading towards the coast. I think it’s literally like 10 minutes west of LA.”  
“Really? That's cool, I live right off the coast in Venice, it’s about a half hour from LA.” “Venice Beach? I was able to go there once before I had to jump on a plane and head here.”  
“I’m down at Venice Beach almost every morning, I like to surf there. The waves are great in that area.” The fact that you lived so close to where Ozzy lived made your heart skip a beat and you weren’t sure why. There was an attraction between the two of you and you knew that in any other circumstance, there would be dinner and drinks in your future.   
“That's awesome. Maybe I’ll see you there some morning.” You hinted, hoping he looked into that statement as much as you wanted him to. He smiled, almost knocking you off your feet but before you could physically swoon, your group finally reached their camp and started unloading.   
“Hey, where did all this stuff come from? I know I remembered the little oriental guy from the other tribe grabbing the chickens?” Ramone asked.  
“Tai loves his chickens, I don’t know how we got them.” Sierra responded.   
“I also remember someone grabbing most of the water skins from the other tribe. As well as most of the pots.” Jimmie said.  
“I think we have someone on our tribe to thank for that.” Ozzy casually mentioned.  
“Who?” Came the resounding question from the tribe.  
“Cienna.” He answered.   
“How?” The group asked again.   
“Well, when they weren’t looking I was snatching things from their tribe mat. Things I thought we needed, things I thought we might be glad to have. And the chickens. I don’t know how I got away with taking them off their mat, but I did. They didn’t notice a thing.” You explained and your entire tribe looked stunned before breaking into a small round of applause for you.  
“Wow. That's impressive.”  
“That's smart.”  
“And cunning.” There were a lot of compliments thrown your way and for the first time, you felt like you were part of a tribe, not just a bunch of individuals. 

You woke the next morning in a half-built shelter, surrounded by your tribemates to keep you warm. You snuck out of the shelter, wondering what time it was but the sun was up, telling you that it was around 7. You were still on class schedule time, ready to wake as the sun came up and start your day. You walked down to the beach, taking in the beautiful scenery all alone. As you looked out onto the beach, you felt the usual draw to a morning session of yoga, only wishing you had your mat. As you stretched out, you felt a presence behind you, but you were too focused on your breathing to think much about it. Only when you finished your session, did the presence grow stronger before someone sat down beside you. You glanced to your left, noting that Ozzy had taken a seat next to you, not too close, but not so far that you couldn’t feel his body heat radiating.   
“Do you do yoga every morning?” He asked.   
“Usually. I’m still on school time, so I was up early and I figured I needed the moment of being in the moment before the insanity starts.” You explained.  
“I’m usually up early too. Only I’m on surf time, the best waves happen around this time of day, and there tends not to be too many people on the beach this early either. So I was a little surprised when I walked down here and saw you.”  
“Do you practice yoga too?” You asked.  
“A little. Nothing like what you can do though.”  
“Maybe you should join me next time. I prefer yoga with a partner anyways.”  
“Nah, I would hate to ruin your session. You seemed so calm and I didn't want to mess with it.”  
“Oh please, you can’t mess up a yoga session unless you’re not trying.” You smiled, eliciting one from him as well.  
“Alright. We’ll see for next time. Today I enjoyed watching you practice though. It was pretty calming.” He said, making you smile this time. “I think people are starting to wake up, I might go try and grab something to make for breakfast. Are you hungry?”  
“Ugh. I’m always hungry. I’m always ready to eat.” You laughed at the accuracy of your own statement but it was true. You loved food and you loved to eat. Ozzy snickered, standing up and holding his hand out to you. You grabbed on, feeling a spark all the way up to your elbow. You jerked back at the same time that Ozzy did, laughing. “You shocked me!”   
“I did! Sorry about that. Let’s try it again.” You grabbed on again, feeling another spark, less intense than the first, go back up to your elbow. When you were on your feet, you and Ozzy both rubbed at your elbow in unison but didn’t say anything as you walked back to camp.

Ozzy managed to get berries and a couple small rodents for breakfast and everyone sat around camp talking, laughing, and eating. As everyone filled their bellies as much as they could with the little food they had, talk turned to challenges and who would fit best in what positions. You decided to downplay your athletic ability, not feeling like your tribe should know all your secrets yet. So when they asked you were you thought you would fit, you answered that you like puzzles and that you’re pretty good with knots.   
“Perfect. We have Ozzy for the physical, Cienna for the knots, and Ramone for the puzzles. We should be all set.” Sierra stated, trying to take control of the tribe. You knew it was too early in the game to be challenging her, so you let her think she was in control but you didn’t want to follow all her demands. As you looked around your tribe, you wondered who you might be able to make an alliance with. You liked Ozzy and Cirie, but you also liked Ramone and Shawn. They were smart and didn’t seem to be as bossy as some of the others. There were suggestions that you finished building your shelter, and as you all jumped into action, Ozzy kept looking at you like he wanted to tell you something. As you were wondering how to get alone with Ozzy and see what he wanted, he stood up offering to go get water and wondering if anyone would like to help.  
“I’ll go. I don’t think I’ve had any water at all today.” You said, grabbing the five water skins that Ozzy wasn’t already holding. You made small talk about surfing until you were out of earshot of the rest of the tribe.  
“I want to go final two with you.” He blurted, surprising you.  
“Why?” You responded, truly curious.  
“You’re smart, you seem loyal, and I can tell you're athletic, even though you didn’t mention it.”  
“I am. But I didn't want the rest of the tribe to know that. I’d like to keep an ace up my sleeve until I have to play it.”   
“I think we could make it final two together, our skills compliment each other.”  
“I’m game. Let’s do it. Final Two!” You whisper-shouted, bumping fists with Ozzy to signify your new alliance.  
He smiled, but it didn’t strike you as an alliance smile. It struck you as something deeper and you wanted to figure it out. Before you could though, Cirie walked up and started whispering about alliances as well. She thought you would match well with their alliance personalities and she wanted to know if you would ditch the Fans and join the Favorites for a secret alliance. They would need you to act like you were with the Fans so you could figure out who the target was and then switch sides during the vote. It would take a lot of cunning and intelligence to do what they were asking of you, but you didn’t care. You didn’t like Kelsei and you didn’t care much for Jake either. You didn’t know Ramone or Shawn well enough to vote with them, so you liked the position you found yourself in. You walked back with them, shooting the breeze about Cirie’s job and kids when Kelsei walked up to you aggressively.  
“I didn’t know you were a yogi!” She shouted, almost bursting your eardrums.  
“I yoga a little. Why?” You asked, trying not to sound super irritated.   
“Ozzy,” She said, shooting a flirty look his way, “mentioned that you were on the beach for some morning yoga. I teach yoga so I was wondering if you’d like to go back to the beach and practice? I haven't taught a novice in so long!” She all but shouted in your face. You felt the tops of your ears turn red as you tried not to retaliate. Ozzy was standing close enough to you for you to feel him shaking with laughter at her automatic assumption.  
“I’ve already had one session today, I don’t want to wear myself out so how about we practice together tomorrow morning.” You offered, knowing she wouldn’t be awake in time to practice with you in the morning, but you didn’t care.   
“Oh,” her face fell, “I was wanting to teach you some things.” She said, trying to guilt you into having her ‘teach’ you. She was definitely an expert in playing people and you did not want to be one of her games.   
“I know, but we have our first challenge tomorrow, so I don’t want to wear myself out by practicing too much. I can sit with you by the beach while you practice though, you can teach me then.” You offered, annoyed with yourself that you couldn’t let her be upset and move on.  
“Oh sure! I love to teach people who don't know as much about yoga as I do!” She exclaimed and behind you, Ozzy coughed loudly and you knew that he was trying to cover up his laughter. “Come on, let’s go!” She told you, grabbing you by the arm and marching you towards the beach. She got you settled and began her routine, with you ‘watching’ intently. You were actually staring in her general direction and thinking about Ozzy and whether you had a future with him or you were fooling yourself. You definitely felt something for him, be it physical or emotional, you weren’t sure yet. Kelsei was mumbling along, talking about poses and breathing techniques but you weren’t listening. You wanted a Final Two with Ozzy, but you didn’t want a showmance. Showmances got sent home quickly and the last thing you wanted was to get sent home. If you felt anything for Ozzy, it would have to wait and fester until you made it back to California. 

The night passed without anything else of interest happening, except Ozzy worming his way next to you in the shelter when it was time for bed. With Cirie on your other side, you were warmer than you’d been in a long time. Ozzy snuggled you all night, his hands gently laid on your side and his feet tangling in yours. The both of you woke before everyone else again and walked down to the beach together. You watched the waves crash over the rocks and you felt an urge to get some morning yoga in, but as you were giving yourself some space, a squeal came from the camp. You both turned, wondering what the hell was going on, but before you could figure it out, Kelsei was bounding towards the beach.  
“You’re up! I was hoping you would be! Let’s do some yoga!!” She said and you glanced at Ozzy out of the corner of your eye. He shrugged, a ‘what can you do’ kind of shrug before Kelsei was level with you, beginning her stretches. She posted herself in front of Ozzy, stripping down to her bikini and bending over. It was your turn to hide your laughter as he turned from looking at you to looking at what he thought was the ocean. His eyes nearly popped out of his head at the unwelcome sight before he looked back at you. You responded with giving him the same shrug that he had given you before sticking his tongue out at you. You retaliated before breaking into your pre-yoga stretches.  
“I’m going to head back to camp, see if we have anything for breakfast.” Ozzy said, attempting to dislodge himself from the awkward situation.  
“No! Please stay, it’ll feel more like I'm teaching a class. Maybe you’ll join us sometime.” She told him, bent over and looking at him back over her shoulder. She also threw him a wink, and you tried to act like you didn’t notice but you had to turn your head away so she wouldn't see you laughing. She wasn't a bad yoga partner, except for the fact that she kept glancing at Ozzy behind her. He’d shuffled himself to the side and back, trying to get some space but before you finished, Cirie was calling him back up to the camp. He gave you a quick nod before bolting for camp. You lost yourself in your routine, surprising your yoga partner.  
“Wow. I didn't know you were so practiced.” She admitted and you shrugged.  
“I need it a lot of the time to calm me down after my classes are finished. I got pretty decent over the 6 years I’ve been in school.” You told her, being more truthful than you expected yourself to me.  
“Hey! Get up here! We’ve got to leave for the reward challenge in an hour, you two will want something to eat!” JT shouted down onto the beach. You shuffled back to camp, trying not to make any more conversation with Kelsei. You ate fast, not that there was much to eat, before trying to relax and get yourself into competition mode for the upcoming reward challenge.   
“Let’s go. It’s time.” Sierra noted. As you made the trek down the path, Ozzy snuck up behind you.   
“Nervous about your first challenge, newbie?” He taunted, bumping your shoulder with his. You felt a familiar tingle make it’s way to your fingers and you wondered if he felt it too.  
“A little. I don’t want to be the person that loses the challenge. I don’t think I want a target on my back this early in the game.” You smile, looking down slightly to hide your nerves.   
“Nah, you’ll do alright. I remember my first challenge, I was a nervous wreck and I didn’t even know what to do with myself. I think I stood there until Parvati Shallow screamed at me to do something.” He laughed at the memory, looking down at you to reassure you.  
“Hey! Ozzy!” Came a voice from behind you. Kelsei, no surprise. She ran right between the two of you, bumping you out of the way and rubbing up against Ozzy. “What do you think we should expect today? I know you’ve done this a couple times and I wondered if you had some advice for me?” Her voice had dropped to an sexy purr and you weren’t sure how she managed to do that. You dropped back, walking even with Ramone and discussing some type of strategy, trying to get into game-mode. You saw Ozzy doing his best to ditch Kelsei but to no avail. She was lecherous, even going as far to latch onto his arms. It made your blood boil, but you didn’t know why. You weren’t even sure that you had a thing for Ozzy or if it was purely physical. You were so focused on it that you didn’t realize that you had made it to the challenge area.

The reward challenge was a normal one, two teams split into three and had to race through a series of obstacles to get to a puzzle and solve the puzzle. You were winning coffee beans and a coffee press, so you could all have your morning brew. Your team pulled it out, with Ozzy sending you out to an early lead with his balancing skills and your teams puzzle abilities shooting you out to victory. You all walked back, high on the win and the fact that you were all going to get to have a cup of coffee in the morning. You celebrated by bathing in the ocean, laughing and talking to your tribemates. Ozzy was the target of your jokes, his constant dodging of Kelsei the butt of your fun. The whole tribe knew it, but she was relentless. She even went so far to wedge herself between him and you when it came time to get some sleep. You wanted to be annoyed, but the entire situation was too funny and you were too blissed out for a cup of coffee in the morning to care.   
You woke the next morning but noticed that Ozzy was already gone. You crept out of bed, trying to avoid waking Kelsei because you did NOT want another bout of morning yoga with her. You enjoyed your mornings with Ozzy because you felt like you got to know the real him, not just the Survivor player Ozzy. You were pleasantly surprised to see him already down there, getting into some morning stretches. You walked down to him, not wanting to disturb his breathing but he knew you were there.  
“Come join me. Show me some stuff I don’t know.” He taunted and you could have sworn that he was flirting with you so you took the chance and flirted back.  
“I don’t know that there’s much that I could teach you. I think you already know quite a bit.” You winked before getting started on your stretches as well. The two of you stretched and enjoyed the scenery, for you it was both the ocean and Ozzy stretching. It was such a perfect morning that you almost forgot you were on an island, in a game for a million dollars. You knew you had an immunity challenge today, and you were trying to calm yourself so you didn’t make any mistakes, but you were also trying to figure out Ozzy. You were trying to figure out if he felt the tingle when he touched you, you also wondered if he was developing feelings for you just like you were for him. You were drawn out of your reverie by a grumbling in your stomach, you knew you needed to eat something soon, or you were going to be a grumpy kitten.  
“You hungry?” You asked Ozzy, noticing that he was finished as well.  
“Yes. I’m also craving a cup of coffee, so let’s head back up to camp and see if anyone else is awake.” You nodded, grabbing the shirt you discarded and headed back up towards camp. No one else was up yet, you supposed the challenge yesterday had taken it out of them. You sat around the fire, cooking up some bugs and leaves in coconut oil and water to make a breakfast stew. You talked about your lives and laughed, enjoying each other company. You knew you had a big challenge today, but you didn’t care. You wanted to spend as much time around Ozzy as you could and soak up his energy and his positive vibes. As everyone began to stir and gather their cups of coffee and their morning stews, you were reminded that you were still playing a game for a million dollars that you did not want to lose.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I totes know that this is a long chapter. I'm sorry but I'm also not. I loved this chapter because I felt like it delved into their friendship and hopefully their future relationship. We'll see where it goes, because I feel like this story is writing me, not I'm writing it! Thanks for reading, loves!


	4. The First Immunity Challenge

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first immunity challenge is upon you, if you win, you're safe. If you don't win, you run the risk of going home. On top of all of that, you're developing feelings for Ozzy. Will your 'young love' come to an end quickly? Or will there be the chance for more?

The feeling at camp was nerve-wracking; everyone tensing in anticipation for the first immunity challenge. You sipped your fantastic coffee, eyes on everyone. You wondered who would step up to the challenge and who would struggle. You watched Zeke and Debbie in their seasons and knew that topping them in a puzzle would be difficult. You definitely had the physicality on your side with Ozzy and JT, but it didn't make you feel better. You knew you were giving off a bad aura and a terrible vibe, but you were nervous mess. The same nerves as yesterday, only on a much higher scale. If you didn’t pull it out, you could be the one going home and the last thing you wanted was to go home. You knew you were on the numbers side, but this was Survivor, nothing was guaranteed.  
“Let's get going. It’s time!” Ozzy said, excited for the first challenge. He looked at you, but you were so nervous that you couldn't even look back. Part of you was wondering if Ozzy was being serious about the alliance, but you knew that letting that kind of thinking into your game would sink you. You made yourself look at him, returning his smile. You grabbed your bag, trying to settle down and get into game mode but it was difficult. The tribe walked the long road, conversation scarce. Once you got to the arena with what looked like another obstacle course, you caught sight of the other tribe for the first time since you had split. They looked a little worse for the wear, but you were sure that your tribe did too. Maybe a little more awake, since your tribe won the coffee, but you knew that the two nights of little sleep was beginning to take its toll. You could only imagine how you'd feel if you made it to day 39 but you were also excited at the prospect . Jeff appeared, explaining the relay obstacle, starting on the sand and ending with diving for rings in the water. Ozzy and JT volunteered to dive for rings, while everyone else ran the obstacle course. You killed your part, but you didn't want to make it too obvious that you were athletic, so you decided to take it a little slower. You could see Ozzy smirking at your attempt to not be perfect, but you didn’t have time to concentrate on him now. God, you wanted to, because he looked delicious standing there, hair pulled back into a bun with no shirt on. You could see from where you were standing the thin line of hair that trailed from his belly button down into the waistband of his shorts and you wondered how low that line of hair went. Shaking your head to get those dirty thoughts out so you could focus on the competition, you waited for the person after you to complete their course so Ozzy and JT could take you home with a win. Ozzy dove first, bringing up three of your eight rings in one go. JT took his place, bringing two up and allowing Ozzy to dive back down and get the final rings. He brought the last ones up, giving your team a decent lead into the ring tossing part of the competition. JT hit his first three before the other team had even gotten a chance to get all theirs out of the water. You were starting to feel comfortable when JT started missing and Jeff started screaming about Mahua catching up. That's how Survivor was, full of ups and downs. JT was getting close, but he kept missing by an inch or two here and there. The team was starting to worry that the pressure was getting to him when he hit two in a row. Normally you wouldn’t have been worried, but Malcolm hit four in a row and if he kept it up, you'd be going to tribal tonight. Malcolm finally missed as JT hit another and you were feeling less stressed, but not by a whole lot. Your team only needed two, while Mahua needed four. JT hit another as Malcolm and Michaela switched places. She immediately hit two, bringing her within striking distance of winning but as she tossed the another ring, JT shot the last ring in place, securing immunity for your team. Pakitu let out a huge sigh of relief, no one was going home today, but you couldn't help but feel a twinge of worry about Kelly. She was sweet and smart, the two of you were bound to get along if you spent any time together. There was a large piece of you that desperately hoped that you would both make it to the merge that way you could become friends. She definitely seemed like a person that you could find yourself becoming best friends with off the show. As Jeff handed the immunity idol to JT, he definitely earned it, you glanced at Mahua. They looked downtrodden, defeated, and nervous. As the tribe walked back to camp, you wondered who would go home tonight. Who would be the first person voted out of this season of Survivor. Camp was light and fun. Everyone was having a blast and hanging out, ecstatic at winning two challenges in a row. Secretly, you knew there was no way that Patiku could keep up this winning streak, but you didn't want to bring this tribe down by mentioning that. But when Ozzy signaled to you that he wanted to talk, you knew something was up.   
“Look. We can’t keep this winning streak forever.” He started, dipping water in containers.  
“I was thinking that earlier.” You told him, knowing you could trust Ozzy.   
“We have to vote someone out when we lose, so we need to think about this. Who do you think should go home?” He asked,   
“Kelsei. Hands down. I don’t think she’s useful. She hasn’t done hardly anything in challenges and she doesn't collect food or water at camp.” You told him. “And she gets on my nerves.” You sheepishly added, causing him to smile at you.   
“I don’t care for her either. She keeps hitting on me. And she definitely doesn’t do anything around camp. I don’t think we need to keep her around.” He responded, not breaking eye contact the entire time. It almost made you nervous, but instead it made you flush a. Thankfully it was hard to tell because you were sunburnt from spending the last couple days in the blistering heat. “I’ll talk to everyone else and see what they have to say, but I wouldn’t mind her going home first.” He smiled at you again, but lightened the conversation, asking about your family and why you decided to move to California. As you told him about your family, two brothers and your mom and dad, you realized how much you missed them. It had only been about a week since you’d seen them, but it was going to be at least three more weeks before you could see them. It was an agreement with all the players and the producers that you couldn't go home until the 39 days were up because that would ruin all the mystique of the game. Your heart dropped as you thought of them, because you desperately missed them. Living so far away from them was difficult at times, because you couldn’t drive down the road and have dinner. You face-timed at least three times a week and they saw you off onto the plane, but it wasn’t enough. You loved California, it was gorgeous and the veterinary opportunities were huge. But it wasn’t home and you loved your family. As you withdrew into your own personal musings, you forgot you were still standing there with Ozzy, but his soft, deep voice drug you back out.   
“Hey? You okay?” He asked, worry furring his brows.   
“Yeah, I’m okay. Thinking about how much I miss my family. I can’t believe that no matter where I finish in the game, I won’t see them for at least three more weeks. It kind of sucks.” You frowned, letting your emotions get the best of you. Ozzy came to your side of the water trough, wrapping an arm around your shoulders. You felt the now familiar jolt when he touched you, but you sunk into it, into him.   
“It doesn’t get easier. I know that’s not what you want to hear, but it’s true. You’ll always miss your family when you’re out here, especially when you don't get to see them as much as you want to when you aren’t here.” You nodded, feeling emotions overcome you. You felt the need to cry, but you didn't want to show that side of yourself yet, if ever on the show. You were definitely an emotional person, choosing to live life with your heart on your sleeve, but you knew you couldn’t play this game the way you lived your life. It wouldn’t get you far and you wanted to get as far as you could in this game. “It’s okay to cry. At least with me it is. I can’t say the same for everyone else, but you can cry on my shoulder whenever you think you need it. Never know when I might need to return the favor.” He told you, making eye contact and smiling that dazzling smile of his. You returned it, hearing twigs snapping in the woods, and you slipped out from under Ozzy’s arm. You didn't want to get caught snuggling with him, it could look bad. There wasn’t currently anything between the two of you, not that you were hoping there would be, but it could be construed as such. Just as you were getting out of his reach, Cirie popped up around the corner.   
“Did you talk about who we might send home?” She asked, grabbing a water container and beginnig to fill them.   
“Yes. We were both thinking that Kelsei is the way to go. She doesn’t get a lot done around camp and she's not especially helpful in challenges either. What do you think?”   
“Well, I think that it is too early to get rid of the physical threats, so Kelsei is a good choice. I’ll talk to JT and Sierra and see what they have to say.” She said, calmly and comfortably. “You don't like that she hits on you, do you?” She directed at Ozzy, a slight smirk appearing on her face. Ozzy swallowed hard, avoiding making eye contact with Cirie before murmering,  
“No.” Cirie started giggling, infecting you as well. You were both in full on laughter before Ozzy joined in.   
“Ozzy,” Cirie said between her bursts of laughter, “I have never know Ozzy to dislike being hit on by a woman!” She finishes, tears in her eyes and Ozzy laughs again, managing to shoot her a semi-dirty look. Cirie finally composes herself, as do you, and she speaks again. “I thought you loved getting hit on by women, honey.” She says to him and he rolls his eyes.  
“I don’t mind getting hit on but she's a little much. She’s wearing me out. She won't back off, even though I’m not interested.” He said, a little exasperated. But he still smiled at you, and you couldn't help yourself but to smile back. Cirie shot a look between the two of you, shaking her head and smiling a little before mumbling something that neither of you could hear.   
“Come on,” she said aloud, “let’s get these back to camp before anyone gets suspicious. Come on.” She said, in her mom voice. You followed, grabbing the water containers you brought up and were welcomed back by a rousing cheer from the other players. The entire tribe was ecstatic about knowing they weren’t going to be the first person voted off the island and they were attempting to party like it, without any alcohol, only water. And coconuts. The happy vibes and festivities continued on through the night, but you caught glimpses of the Veterans whispering and looking serious, and you were thankful you had decided to partner with them instead of with the Fans. You wondered who would else the five of you could get to flip, because the teams were even as of right now. You started thinking of your options, but Ozzy’s laughter from across the fire distracted you. He was laughing at something that JT was talking about, and you couldn’t help but admire him. The way he used his whole body to laugh and he threw his head back. The way his mass of curls framed his face and his chocolate eyes danced with the flames of the fire. You could feel yourself falling for him and you didn’t know how to stop it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I know it's been a little while since I've updated and I'm sorry about that! I'm working a lot and trying to get my house up for sale. Be patient with me because these updates will try to come a little more frequently! Thanks guys, love you all!


	5. The Day After

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Filler chapter! More to come soon, y'all.

Rolling out of bed early, per usual at this point, you looked around at all your tribe-mates. They looked like they partied like it was 1999, all sprawled out across different parts of camp. You found yourself next to Ozzy, his dark curls framing his face as he snored softly. You knew it would only be a matter of time before he joined you out on the beach, so you let him sleep. Today was a day off, strategy and building relationships was on the agenda. Not that you needed to build relationships, you had a pretty strong one happening with Ozzy. Cirie was fantastic, the two of you got along pretty well also. You needed to connect with some of the fans on your side, in case your alliance with the Favorites went south and you ended up on the chopping block. Ramone was nice, not to mention smart, and Shawn seemed cool . He was quiet, but you didn't want to align yourself with someone boisterous. You wondered who would be the flip vote when your tribe eventually went to tribal, but it wasn't a problem for now. It was a bridge that you would cross when it comes to it. You breathed deeply, trying to begin your morning stretches. A warm presence surrounded you and Ozzy walked up next to you, beginning his stretches as well.   
“They went crazy last night. They were having a hell of a time.” You smirked, remembering everyone singing and dancing to music that wasn’t there. “Is it always like that?” You asked him.   
“Sometimes, not always. This is quite a party bunch, they like to get down here.” He laughed, sending a shiver bolting down your spine. You smiled at him, bringing your hands to center and beginning your yoga routine. The silence engulfed you both, the waves crashing against the beach calming your routine and helping your breathing. You felt the stress from not showering, the stress from not having a full meal, and the stress from being away from your family melting off of you as you focused on your center. All the stress in your shoulders melted away, and you collapsed onto the ground, feeling refreshed.   
“You okay?” Ozzy asked, worry lacing his features as he looked down at you.   
“Yeah! I’m okay, dropping a lot of stress all at once. It was pretty refreshing.” You assured him. He lowered himself down next to you, more gracefully than you had.   
“Feeling any better today?” He asked, referencing your moment the day before when you cried on his shoulder.   
“Yes. I am. I miss them, but I’m doing this for them. So they can travel and do the things they want to.” You smiled, thinking of your mom and dad and how much they deserved. They deserved the entire world and you wanted to win this game so you could give that to them.   
“I want that for my mom too. She’s the best mom I could ask for and I want to make her proud.” He admitted. You smiled at him, loving this softer side, but it didn’t last. Cirie came walking down the beach, determination in her features.   
“We should throw the next immunity challenge so we can get rid of her.” She snarled. Holding a hand over your eyes to shield the sun, you asked her why. “Because she drank the last of the coffee we had.” She grumbled.   
“What? There was like two pots worth?” Ozzy asked, both of you confused about how she managed that.   
“Yeah. I know. She couldn’t sleep last night so she stayed up half the night and drank all the freaking coffee.” You snorted your laughter, it wasn’t funny, but it also kind of was. Ozzy joined you and Cirie cracked a smile.   
“You’re kidding me?” You asked, giggling at the situation.   
“God. I wish I was. So now we have no coffee and no food. Ozzy, can you go fishing today? We need to feed these people to convince them to keep us around.”   
“Yeah sure. Let me just get a cup of coffee-oh wait....” He trailed off, waiting for Cirie’s exasperated reaction. Cirie rolled her eyes and put her hands on her hips before cracking another smile.   
“Be quiet. Go fish.” She laughed, stalking back up to camp while the both of you followed. Kelsei was sitting in the middle of camp, surrounded by everyone as they glared at her.   
“I’m sorry! I didn’t even think about it!” She huffed, trying to defend her coffee consumption.   
“That’s the problem, you don't seem to be thinking about anything.” Sierra snarled, looking like she wished she had a cup of coffee. Kelsei looked stunned, like she couldn’t believe someone would say that to her.   
“Excuse you! That was rude!” She shot back.   
“Yeah. So was drinking all the fucking coffee.” Sierra grumbled, heading down towards the beach to relax in the sand. You decided not to go after her, not wanting to let your tribemates know yet that you were in an alliance with them. You let Cirie do it, she seemed to be fantastic at damage control. The rest of you sat there as Kelsei fumed about being called out and everyone else fumed about no coffee.   
You knew it wasn’t a big deal, but it also kind of was on an island where you have to get your own food. Add in the fact that everyone wasn’t sleeping well because there was no place to get good sleep, and the coffee became a big deal. You knew Jeff would eat this up if he were here, but he would have to get word through his camera crews that kept track of everyone at camp.   
The rest of the day passed uneventfully, only a small apology from Kelsei about the coffee and an even smaller apology to Kelsei from Sierra. You caught glimpses of Cirie and Ozzy talking to Ramone and Shawn, trying to sway their votes in the alliances direction. It wouldn’t be hard, not with everyone angry at Kelsei, but you still had to be careful because you didn't want anyone to let her know that she would be the target if you lost the immunity challenge.   
Things wound down fast, everyone exhausted from a lack of coffee and the camp crashed out early. You joined them on the mat, Ozzy snuggling in behind you and laying a soft hand on your waist as you drifted off to sleep, dreaming of the next reward challenge.

**Author's Note:**

> Hi guys! I know the 'Survivor Fandom' isn't huge, but I was really feeling an Ozzy fic. I don't know how long it'll be, or even if it'll be any damn good, but here it is! I hope y'all like it!


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